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Yummy Links: From Foodie Tees to Emeril Live

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:03:18 -0800

Love food and whimsical tees? Check out this great foodie tee gift guide. - Baking Bites
The real Gordon Ramsay might not have the time blog, but the Fake Gordon Ramsay sure does. - Serious Eats
Don't miss these top ten food and drink hacks. - LifeHacker
Looking for a vintage pasta sauce? Try this walnut sauce from Gourmet magazine circa 1978. - Slashfood
This holiday season, give the gift of food. - iVillage
I'm not sure if you really want to know, but here are the top 20 fast food items highest in calories. - FitSugar
If your friend leaves a poor tip, how do you tactfully add to it? - Chow

Learn how to create these easy ornament place cards. - CasaSugar
If current cake molds impress you, check out these vintage ones. - The Kitchen: Apartment Therapy
Emeril Live! has been cancelled, but Emeril's not done with Food Network just yet. - Amazon's Al Dente

DIY: Easy Ornament Place Cards

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:42:30 -0800

At a recent holiday dinner party I attended, the hostess rested basic place cards on a handful of adorable polar bear ornaments to make her simple place settings all the more festive. I was so smitten with the idea that I had to take photos to share. She also spread around some tiny plastic champagne bubbles, which I got a little carried away with after dessert. This project (would you call it a project?) takes almost no time to complete and the guests can leave with an ornament to hang in their own homes.

This idea will work with whatever cute ornaments you fancy, and they don't have to be expensive. If your ornament has a flat surface, you can personalize it by writing each guest's name directly on the ornament. Or, you can get frame ornaments and put a fun photo of each of your guests into the frame, and there'll be no need for name place cards. While I do always appreciate the place card projects that Martha Stewart has up her sleeve, they're often time consuming. So if you're hosting dinner, this may be a better option, especially since you've probably got more important things to worry about, like roasting a turkey or baking a ham...

Cranberry Decorating Part I: Place Cards

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:30:46 -0800

Ocean Spray has always been my go-to for Thanksgiving cranberry sauce; I've been known to eat an entire can of it as is. I've never thought to get decorating advice from the cranberry brand, though. I stumbled upon some festive cranberry DIY decorating projects on their site, and was so impressed, I've decided to share the series of them. They're fairly simple, and the deep color of the fruit is perfect for the holidays!

To learn how to make these beautiful place cards, read more

Supplies:

3 x 5-inch cards or card stock cut to size (as many as # of seats)
Glue gun
1 bag of fresh cranberries
Small dried leaves
Small twigs
Acorns
Fine point marker

Here's how:

Fold each 3 x 5-inch card in half crosswise to make a tent.
Write a guest’s name on each card in your best handwriting.
Using the glue gun, secure a few fresh cranberries to the corner of each card.
Secure a variation of leaves, twigs, and acorns to the cards so that each is different.
Let dry, and arrange at each setting!

Source

Gorgeous Alphabet Sugar Cookies

partysugar — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:00:00 -0700

Having a good, reliable sugar cookie recipe in your repertoire is a must for every home baker. Sugar cookies are incredibly diverse and can be turned into many different kinds of cookies. For a clever take on place settings think about making these sugar cookie stand outs. Part of the dough is dyed red and two cookie cutter shapes are used to make the letter and the backing. These make beautiful edible ornaments come holiday time. To take a look at the recipe, read more

Sugar Cookie Standouts
From Better, Homes, and Gardens magazine

2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
red (or any other color) food coloring
Edible glitter, sparkling sanding sugar, or granulated sugar (optional)

In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and, vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
Tint one-third of the dough red with 3/4 teaspoon liquid red food coloring before chilling. Cover and chill dough for 2 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface form a mound by dropping small amounts of each of the doughs close together in a random pattern. Gently shape the mound into a ball. Divide in half. Cover and chill until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 3-inch alphabet-shaped cutter, cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with edible glitter, sparkling sanding sugar, or granulated sugar, if desired. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Makes 36 cookies.

Print recipe with images | without images

Casa Quickie: Wine Cork Place Card Holder

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:00:00 -0800

If you're anything like me, there are already a plethora of wine corks laying around your home this season. So, if you'll be hosting a holiday dinner party this week, why not put them to good use and turn them into place card holders? Use a standard dinner knife to slice a shallow slit into the length of a wine cork or the width (top) of a champagne cork. Then, write your guests' names on pieces of decorative paper or place cards, and slide them paper into the slot. Voilà! A festive, recycled place card holder that you can reuse at your next dinner party!

Off To Market Recap: Place Card Holders

partysugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:01:33 -0800

So much preparation goes into the food at Thanksgiving, and the table should receive equal attention. Place cards, even if just for your close family, add formality to the meal and make it feel like a super special dinner. This year I've decided to design a table setting around the place card holders. I asked you to help me by finding a wide selection of place card holders. You looked for ones that are elegant, Thanksgiving specific, or that can be reused for future dinner parties. You saved your discoveries in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Place Card Holders.

There are some super fun ones that hold chocolates, and ones that open up to be a votive candle, but I prefer the simplicity of these golden pear place card holders. Mellie_608 bookmarked these and they will be great on a table with rich autumn colors. To take a look at all of the place card settings, browse below.

To learn more about the bookmarking feature of TeamSugar please read geeksugar's explanation.

Off to Market: Place Card Holders

partysugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:18:33 -0700

Thanksgiving is the one time of year where I use place cards to delegate where guests sit around the dining table. So much preparation goes into the food that the table should require equal attention. Place cards, even if just for your close family, add formality to the meal and make it feel like a super special dinner. This year I thought it would be fun to design a table setting around the place card holders. Can you help me by finding a wide selection of place card holders? Look for ones that are elegant, Thanksgiving specific, or can be re-used for future dinner parties. Save your discoveries in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Place Card Holders. Thanks everyone, I know you will find the perfect place card holders!

To learn more about the bookmarking feature of TeamSugar please read geeksugar's explanation.

Find out where I like to shop online for food and entertaining accessories when you read more

Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Let's Get Crafty! DIY Place Card Holders

partysugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:13:33 -0800

Even when it's just my family at Thanksgiving, I always find it fun to seat everyone by using place card holders. They are simply festive and make it feel more like a holiday. You could run to Williams-Sonoma and buy some, but with a little creativity, you could make them! I quickly made the ones pictured at right using real apples. To see how I made them, read more

You will need the following supplies:

mini apples
cards or cardstock cut down to size
knife
cutting board
glittery pen

Here's what you do:

Break or cut the cardstock into separate pieces.

Practice your decorative handwriting. Decide which style suits your table setting: cursive, loopy, sleek, etc.

Write out the name of each guest on the cards and set aside.

Cut a small slice in the top of the apples. Make sure to do it on one side of the stem, being careful not to go all the way through. Wiggle the knife a little to make sure the slice is big enough to fit the cardstock.

Slide the card inside the apple. Voila! Instant and adorable place card holders!

View 17 Photos ›

Cool Idea: Duck Wing Quill Place Cards

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:00:50 -0800

I recently passed on a leaves place card idea to you from Another Shade of Grey that would be great for your upcoming Thanksgiving party. A couple of you liked the idea, but I didn't get a huge response. So, I figured I'd give it another shot. Instead of painting your guests names onto leaves, try feathers! According to Another Shade of Grey, you can buy a pack of 20 duck wing quills for about $1.99 (10 cents a quill). But, I'm really loving the look of these Pheasant Feathers ($.99/each). Whichever feather you fancy, paint each guest's name using a fine tipped brush and some acrylic craft paint.
Source

How-To: 7 Ways to Repurpose Holiday Cards

CasaSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:00:40 -0800

What to do with that fat stack of last year's Christmas cards you've got stashed in a drawer? Well, if they're photo cards, save 'em. But if you've collected some cards with holiday-themed graphics, Real Simple says repurpose them! Cut up that old stationery into festive shapes like stars, Christmas trees, and ornaments. Then, scribe each of your guests name on the paper, hole punch, and tie the place card to your napkin with a ribbon or some red yarn. I have a few of my own holiday card repurposing ideas for you, so read more.

If there is no writing on the backside of your card cover (where the image is), you can cut off the top fold and use it as a postcard, writing your message on the blank back side.
You can slice card covers into four to six different rectangles and use them as gift tags. Punch a hole in the card and slide it onto your ribbon before you tie your bow.
Cut the card covers into festive shapes like Christmas trees, ornaments, and stars. Then punch a hole, and tie a loop through it with ribbon. Then, use it as an ornament on your tree. You can add additional ornamentation with glitter, beading, etc.
Cut the card covers into star shapes and letters to spell out "Merry Christmas." Then, make a garland out of them by stringing them together with red baker's twine, yarn, or ribbon.
Buy a pack of blank note cards. Cut up a few card covers into different shapes or stripes, and collage them with Mod Podge glue onto the front of the blank note card.
Or, you can send them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, a safe home that rescues abused, abandoned, and neglected children. It runs a 30-year-old recycling card program to benefit the children. The children participate in the program by making new cards removing the front of donated ones and attaching a new back made with recycled paper, and then they are sold. Cards may be donated by sending them to:

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Source